Cross British Sports Book Awards 2015http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk
Mon, 22 Jun 2015 10:04:07 +0000en-UShourly1Proud named Sports Book of the Yearhttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/proud-named-sports-book-of-the-year/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/proud-named-sports-book-of-the-year/#commentsFri, 19 Jun 2015 07:16:27 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3703PROUD, the autobiography of former Welsh rugby international, Gareth Thomas, published by Ebury, has won SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR at the Cross British Sports Book Awards. Selected by public vote Thomas’ inspirational story of coming out as gay in the macho world of rugby fought off strong competition from nine other category winners to win the overall title.

Written with journalist and sportswriter, Michael Calvin, who also won last year’s overall prize for his book, The Nowhere Men, PROUDis a story that transcends the world of sport to tell a universal truth about feeling like an outsider, and facing up to who you really are.

Gareth Thomas said of his win, “I’m proud, in so many ways, to win this award. The book means so much to me because I have discovered that it means so much to others.” He went onto dedicate the award to the memory of sportsman, Danny Jones, who died suddenly last month. Thomas described him as ‘a fabulous friend and a wonderful rugby league player. ‘

Michael Calvin said, “Being named as Sports Book of the Year at the Cross British Sports Book Awards is a huge honour for us. It is uniquely important since it involves recognition from not just an eminent panel of judges, but also the support of our readers. From a personal point of view, winning for the second successive year is pretty humbling. But Gareth deserves greater credit for having the moral courage to tell his story with such fearlessness and emotional intelligence. We laughed and we cried in writing the book, and will probably do the same when we meet up to celebrate this win. Thanks to everyone involved.”

Nicola Shepherd, Director of Trade /Shopper Marketing at A.T. Cross Company, commenting on Gareth’s success, added, “We’re delighted to sponsor the Cross British Sports Book Awards, and thrilled that Gareth won not only the Autobiography of the year, sponsored by Cross, but this publicly voted award too. We hope that Gareth’s win inspires people to write their own stories to share with others”

The other category winners announced at the star-studded awards ceremony held earlier this month at Lord’s, were:ALONE: The Triumph & Tragedy of John Curry by Bill Jones, (Outstanding Sports Writing);BOBBY MOORE: The Man in Full by Matt Dickinson (Biography of the Year);WOUNDED TIGER: The History of Cricket in Pakistan by Peter Oborne, (Cricket Book of the Year);THIRTY-ONE NILby James Montague (Football Book of the Year);Richard Parks’ BEYOND THE HORIZON, (Rugby Book of the Year);CHELTENHAM ET AL – The Best of Alastair Down by Alastair Down, (Horse Racing Book of the Year);
Herbie Sykes’ THE RACE AGINST THE STASI (Cycling Book of the Year);
Anna Krein’s NIGHT GAMES (New Writer of the Year);
and THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, edited by Reuel Golden, (Best Illustrated Book of the Year).

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/proud-named-sports-book-of-the-year/feed/0PM letter presented to Sir Michael Parkinsonhttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/pm-letter-presented-to-sir-michael-parkinson/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/pm-letter-presented-to-sir-michael-parkinson/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2015 09:41:24 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3666Sir Michael Parkinson was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing Award at the Cross British Sports Book Awards on 3rd June 2015. The Prime Minister David Cameron sent the following letter to the Awards organisers to present to Parky.

With thanks to Cubism Law for coordinating the letter from the Prime Minister.

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/pm-letter-presented-to-sir-michael-parkinson/feed/0CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT STAR-STUDDED EVENINGhttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/cross-british-sports-book-award-winners-announced-at-star-studded-evening/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/cross-british-sports-book-award-winners-announced-at-star-studded-evening/#commentsThu, 04 Jun 2015 08:34:55 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3510The troubled life stories of two gay sportsmen have triumphed at the CROSS British Sports Book Awards. PROUD, the inspirational autobiography of former Welsh rugby star, Gareth Thomas, has won the prestigious Autobiography of the Year, while ALONE, the biography of Olympic ice-skater, John Curry, written by Bill Jones, won the award for Outstanding Sports Writing, which was presented by Robin Cousins.

Eight other category winners were announced at the prestigious ceremony held this evening (3rd June) at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, hosted by Jonathan Agnew and Alison Mitchell, and attended by stars from the world of sport including Tony Adams, Nicole Cooke, Will Greenwood, Simon Jones, Brian Moore, Andrew Strauss and Gareth Thomas. Also, in attendance was Jane Ellison MP, Minister for Public Health, who spoke about the importance of physical activity in everyday life, and praised the work of organisations such as the Dallaglio Foundation, which was the chosen charity for the evening.

She said “It is fantastic to see so many inspirational sporting role models here. We as a nation need to make physical activity part of our everyday lives, right across the age spectrum, and sport has a vital role to play in this. The social aspects of being involved in sport are also hugely important in combating loneliness and isolation.” Lawrence Dallaglio, the former England rugby captain, who founded the charity, also spoke. Highlights from the event will be broadcast in a one-hour long programme on Sky Sports on 6th and 7th June*.

A special award for Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing was presented to Sir Michael Parkinson CBE who accepted the award from his publisher of 30 years, Roddy Bloomfield, after emotional tributes from Geoffrey Boycott, and former umpire, Dickie Bird, with whom he once opened the batting at Barnsley Cricket Club.

Other winners on the night included Matt Dickinson, who won Biography of the Year for
BOBBY MOORE: The Man in Full; Peter Oborne, who won Cricket Book of the Year, for
WOUNDED TIGER: The History of Cricket in Pakistan; and James Montague, who won the Football Book of the Year for THIRTY-ONE NIL: On the Road With Football’s Outsiders.

The first recipient of the new Cycling Book of the Year was Herbie Sykes for THE RACE AGAINST THE STASI, which told the incredible story of East German cyclist, Dieter Wiedemann. Rugby Book of the Year went to Richard Parks for BEYOND THE HORIZON, and Horse Racing Book of the Year to CHELTENHAM ET AL: The Best of Alastair Down.

The New Writer of the Year award went to Anna Krien for NIGHT GAMES, her exposé of the macho culture in Aussie rules football, while THE AGE OF INNOCENCE: Football in the 1970s, edited by Reuel Golden, won the Illustrated Book of the Year.

Each of the 10 winning titles is now put to an online public vote to determine the Overall CROSS British Sports Book of the Year in association with The Times. The vote, sponsored by National Book Tokens, will be held on the official website www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk – with a prize draw of £100 National Book Tokens. The vote remains open until Tuesday, 16th June, with the winner announced shortly after.

New Writer of the Year Sponsored by Sky SportsWinner:NIGHT GAMES Anna Krien Yellow Jersey

Illustrated Book of the Year Sponsored by Arbuthnot LathamWinner:THE AGE OF INNOCENCE Ed: Reuel Golden Taschen

Also presented on the night:Sports Retailer of the Year Sponsored by Orion Publishing GroupWinner: WaterstonesPublicity Campaign of the Year Sponsored by Cubism LawWinner:Elizabeth Allen (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), with Jane Beaton from Kew Publicity, forThe Second Half by Roy Keane with Roddy Doyle

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/cross-british-sports-book-award-winners-announced-at-star-studded-evening/feed/0CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS HIGHLIGHTS ON SKY SPORTShttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/cross-british-sports-book-awards-highlights-on-sky-sports/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/cross-british-sports-book-awards-highlights-on-sky-sports/#commentsMon, 01 Jun 2015 09:15:57 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3491The highlights of this year’s Cross British Sports Book Awards will be shown on Sky Sports in the weekend following the awards ceremony it has been announced. The best of the star-studded evening, which is being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Wednesday, 3rd June, will be shown four times over the weekend of 6th and 7th June as follows:

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said, ‘Sky Sports is delighted to support the British Sport Book Awards as we have done since they were launched in 2003 and we wish the Awards many more successful years.’
Among the celebrities attending the awards, which will be hosted by Jonathan Agnew and Alison Mitchell, are Gareth Thomas, Nicole Cooke, Robin Cousins, Brian Moore, Tony Adams, Simon Jones, Andrew Strauss, Will Greenwood and Sir Michael Parkinson.

After the individual category winners have been announced, each will then be promoted in a media and retail campaign with an online public vote determining the Overall Cross British Sports Book of the Year in association with The Times. The public vote sponsored by National Book Tokens will be held on the awards website with a prize draw of £100 National Book Tokens. All are welcome to vote.

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/06/cross-british-sports-book-awards-highlights-on-sky-sports/feed/0CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS TO HONOUR MICHAEL PARKINSONhttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/05/cross-british-sports-book-awards-to-honour-michael-parkinson/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/05/cross-british-sports-book-awards-to-honour-michael-parkinson/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 09:55:50 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3457Sir MICHAEL PARKINSON CBE will be honoured with an award for his Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing at this year’s CROSS British Sports Book Awards it has been announced. The legendary writer, journalist and broadcaster, now 80, will be presented with the award during a star-studded evening being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Wednesday 3rd June.

As a teenager Michael Parkinson opened the batting at Barnsley Cricket Club with Dickie Bird and was selected ahead of Geoffrey Boycott in the Barnsley team. But, instead of a career in cricket he moved into journalism and left the county of his birth.

His early exploits took him to the Manchester Guardian and then the Daily Express and the Sunday Times in London. He later wrote a long-standing and widely-read sports column for the Daily Telegraph, but it is for his television interviews that he is perhaps best known. During a 40-year career he interviewed over 2000 celebrities, including Muhammad Ali on four occasions, regretting only that he had missed Frank Sinatra and Sir Donald Bradman.

Michael Parkinson has been President of the Sports Journalists’ Association since 2005. He was awarded a CBE in 2000 and knighted by the Queen in 2008.

David Willis, Chairman of the CROSS British Sports Book Awards, said, ‘While television has made Sir Michael Parkinson a household name, it is his enormous contribution to sports writing and sports journalism to which we pay tribute at the 2015 Awards. We are delighted to be presenting him with this award. A good sport in every sense of the word.’

In all there will be 13 prizes awarded on the night including Autobiography of the Year, Biography of the Year, Outstanding Sports Writing, and individual sport awards in Rugby, Football, Horse Racing and Cricket, as well as Cycling. The evening is being filmed for broadcast as a one hour Highlights Programme on Sky Sports.

Among the celebrities attending the awards, which will be hosted by Jonathan Agnew, are Gareth Thomas, Nicole Cooke, Brian Moore, Tony Adams, Andrew Strauss, Gaby and Kenny Logan, and Will Greenwood.

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/05/cross-british-sports-book-awards-to-honour-michael-parkinson/feed/0CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS TO SUPPORT THE DALLAGLIO FOUNDATIONhttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/05/cross-british-sports-book-awards-to-support-the-dallaglio-foundation/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/05/cross-british-sports-book-awards-to-support-the-dallaglio-foundation/#commentsMon, 18 May 2015 08:54:57 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3444The DALLAGLIO FOUNDATION has been chosen as the highlighted charity for this year’s CROSS British Sports Book Awards being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Wednesday 3rd June.

Founded in 2009 by former England rugby captain, Lawrence Dallaglio, the DALLAGLIO FOUNDATION exists to nurture and develop the essential skills of disengaged young people. Based on the core values of rugby, the Dallaglio Foundation’s RugbyWorks programme uses the game to engage the hardest to reach 14-16 year olds over the period of two years to develop the essential skills to help them become more employable.

Lawrence Dallaglio will attend the star-studded awards ceremony to talk about the charity and how it has helped change young people’s lives. Of his charity’s association with the awards, Dallaglio said, ‘I am delighted that the CROSS British Sports Book Awards has chosen to support the DALLAGLIO FOUNDATION at this year’s awards. I am very proud of the work we do, and especially proud of the young people who take part in our RugbyWorks programmes, and who strive so hard to make positive changes in their often troubled and difficult young lives.’

Dallaglio, who has completed three Dallaglio Cycle Slams across Europe for the Dallaglio Foundation since his retirement from rugby in 2008, and helped raise millions of pounds in the process, also helped judge the Cycling Book of the Year, a new category for this year.

In all there will be 13 prizes awarded on the night including Autobiography of the Year, Biography of the Year, Outstanding Sports Writing, and individual sport awards in Rugby, Football, Horse Racing and Cricket, as well as Cycling. The evening is being filmed for broadcast as a one hour Highlights Programme on Sky Sports.

Among the celebrities attending the awards, which will be hosted by Jonathan Agnew, are Gareth Thomas, Nicole Cooke, Brian Moore, Nigel Mansell, Andrew Strauss, Gaby and Kenny Logan, Will Greenwood and Sir Michael Parkinson.

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/05/cross-british-sports-book-awards-to-support-the-dallaglio-foundation/feed/0SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDShttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/04/shortlists-announced-for-cross-british-sports-book-awards/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/04/shortlists-announced-for-cross-british-sports-book-awards/#commentsThu, 30 Apr 2015 10:02:24 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=3367Football’s fiery Roy Keane, and flamboyant golfer, Ian Poulter, are just two of the stars in contention for a top prize in this year’s British Sports Book Awards, sponsored for the first time by CROSS. Both sportsmen are shortlisted for the prestigious CROSS Autobiography of the Year. Others on the shortlist are motorsports’ Guy Martin, rugby’s Gareth Thomas, and two from the world of cycling, Chris Froome and Nicole Cooke.

The winner will be announced at a star-studded ceremony being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, on Wednesday, 3rd June, and hosted by Jonathan Agnew & filmed for broadcast as a one hour Highlights Programme on SkySports after June 7th.

Roy Keane, with co-author, the award-winning writer, Roddy Doyle, is also shortlisted in two other categories: Football Book of the Year and Outstanding Sports Writing, for his autobiography, The Second Half. Other awards to be presented on the night are Biography of the Year, with contenders including Matt Dickinson’s Bobby Moore: The Man in Full and Alone: The Triumph and Tragedy of John Curry by Bill Jones; Cricket Book of The Year, featuring Peter Oborne’s Wounded Tiger: The History of Cricket in Pakistan, and Dan Waddell’s Field of Shadows about England’s Tour of Nazi Germany in 1937; and Horse Racing Book of the Year, with Nick Townsend’s The Sure Thing, and If Horses Could Talk, Gary Witheford’s account of his life as a ‘horse whisperer’, among the six books shortlisted.

For the first time in the awards’ 13 years history there will be an award for Cycling Book of the Year, recognising the huge rise in sports writing in this area. Among the contenders for this award are Richard Moore’s Étape, Ned Boulting’s 101 Damnations, and The Race Against the Stasi by Herbie Sykes.

The New Writer of the Year award will see Anna Krien’s Night Games, an exposé of the macho culture in Aussie rules football up against Toby Vincent’s Driven, a contemporary thriller set in the world of motor racing. There will also be an award for the best Illustrated Book.

After the individual category winners have been announced on 3 June, each will then be promoted in a media and retail campaign with an online public vote determining the Overall CROSS British Sports Book of the Year. The public vote sponsored by National Book Tokens will held on the official website – www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk with a prize draw of £100 National Book Tokens

Biography of the Year Sponsored by The TimesAlone: The Triumph & Tragedy of John Curry Bill Jones (Bloomsbury)Bobby Moore: The Man in Full Matt Dickinson (Yellow Jersey)Chase Your Shadow John Carlin (Atlantic Books)One Day as a Tiger John Porter (Vertebrate Publishing)Scream: The Tyson Tapes Jonathan Rendall (Short Books)Shadows on the Road Michael Barry (Faber & Faber)

Football Book of the Year Sponsored by TalksportThe Life & Times of Herbert Chapman Patrick Barclay (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)Bobby Moore: The Man in Full Matt Dickinson (Yellow Jersey)I Don’t Know What It Is But I Love It Tony Evans (Viking)The Boy in Brazil: Living, Loving and Learning in the Land of Football Seth Burkett (Floodlit Dreams)Fergie Rises: How Britain’s Greatest Football Manager Was Made at Aberdeen Michael Grant (Aurum Press)The Second Half Roy Keane with Roddy Doyle (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)Thirty One Nil James Montague (Bloomsbury)In Search of Duncan Ferguson Alan Patullo (Mainstream)

Rugby Book of the Year Sponsored by Robert WaltersBeyond the Horizon Richard Parks (Sphere)Behind the Rose: Playing Rugby for England Stephen Jones and Nick Cain (Arena Sport)The Test Brian O’Driscoll (Penguin Ireland)Proud Gareth Thomas (Ebury)The Secret Life of Twickenham Chris Jones (Aurum Press)Undefeated: The Story of the 1974 Lions Rhodri Davies (Y Lolfa)

Cricket Book of the Year Sponsored by Littlehampton Book Services10 for 10: Hedley Verity and the Story of Cricket’s Greatest Bowling Feat Chris Waters (Wisden)Britain’s Lost Cricket Festivals Chris Arnot (Aurum Press)Field of Shadows: The English Cricket Tour of Nazi Germany Dan Waddell (Bantam)The Final Over: The Cricketers of Summer 1914 Christopher Sandford (History Press)Wisden on the Great War Andrew Renshaw (Wisden)Wounded Tiger: The History of Cricket In Pakistan Peter Oborne (Simon & Schuster)

Horse Racing Book of the Year Sponsored by ProcorreBurrough Hill Lad: The Making of a Champion Racehorse Gavan Naden and Max Riddington (Chequered Flag Publishing)Cheltenham et Al: The Best of Alastair Down Alastair Down (Racing Post)If Horses Could Talk Gary Witheford (Racing Post)McCoy: In the Frame Edward Whitaker (Racing Post)The Sure Thing Nick Townsend (Century)William Hill: The Man and the Business Graham Sharpe with Mihir Bose (Racing Post)

Cycling Book of the Year Sponsored by Human Race Climbs and Punishment Felix Lowe (Bantam Press)Étape: The Untold Stories of the Tour De France’s Defining Stages Richard Moore (HarperSport)Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy Tim Moore (Yellow Jersey)Great British Cycling: The History of British Bike Racing 1868-2014 Ellis Bacon (Bantam Press)The Race Against the Stasi Herbie Sykes (Aurum Press)101 Damnations: Dispatches from the 101st Tour De France Ned Boulting (Yellow Jersey)

Illustrated Book of the Year Sponsored by Arbuthnot LathamThe Age of Innocence: Football in the 1970s Ed: Reuel Golden (Taschen)The Arsenal Shirt James Elkin and Simon Shakeshaft (Vision Sports Publishing)The Art of Sports Photography Marc Aspland (Prestel)Formula One Circuits from Above Bruce Jones (Carlton Publishing)Golf’s Royal Clubs Scott Macpherson (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club)Parkrun: A Celebration Paul Warrington, Rob Kemp, Julian Ward and Paul Duke (Parkrun Press)

Sports Retailer of the Year Sponsored by Orion Publishing GroupBlackwell’s
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith

Publicity Campaign of the Year Sponsored by Cubism LawAmelia Harvell (Ebury Press) for Proud by Gareth Thomas
Elizabeth Allen (Weidenfeld & Nicolson/Orion) with Jane Beaton from Kew Publicity for The Second Half by Roy Keane with Roddy Doyle
Clare Drysdale (Allen & Unwin) for Rod Laver: An Autobiography by Rod Laver
Tamsin Kitson and Stephanie Melrose (Little, Brown) for KP: The Autobiography by Kevin PietersenPoppy North (Viking) for The Climb: The Autobiography by Chris Froome

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/04/shortlists-announced-for-cross-british-sports-book-awards/feed/0CROSS TO SPONSOR BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDShttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/03/cross-to-sponsor-british-sports-book-awards/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/03/cross-to-sponsor-british-sports-book-awards/#commentsWed, 18 Mar 2015 11:24:30 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=2832This year’s BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS will have a headline sponsor for the first time, as Cross, the major manufacturer of fine writing instruments and personal accessories, announce their support for the 2015 Awards.

Now in its 13th year the CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS celebrate the very best in sports writing and publishing, with prizes for Autobiography of the Year, Biography of the Year, and individual prizes for Books of the Year in the fields of Football, Cricket, Rugby and Horse Racing.

New for 2015 is an individual award for Cycling, recognising the enormous rise of sports writing in this area. Prizes for Best Illustrated Sports Book and Best New Writer will also be awarded.
As in previous years there will be awards for Sports Book Retailer of the Year and for Publicity Campaign of the Year.

The title sponsorship will see the introduction of a new composite logo, which will be included on all collateral including stickers on the shortlisted and winning books in all categories. A series of retail competitions will be run, giving members of the public an opportunity to win Cross gifts, signed editions of winning books and an opportunity to visit Lords Cricket Ground.

Cross products are sold to consumers through department, stationery and pen specialist stores worldwide and to the business gift market via a network of companies specialising in recognition programs. Cross will be presenting winners in each category with an engraved pen.

David Willis, Chairman, Cross British Sports Book Awards, comments; “Cross are exactly the partner we have been looking for; a well-established business, highly regarded around the world and keen to make further progress in the UK. The support we receive from Cross will enable us to invest in the Awards, in their presentation and publicity and the association with pens and fine writing instruments will add to the relevance and glamour of our awards evening. Everybody who has worked alongside the British Sports Book Awards over many years is very excited about this new development. The sponsorship of the prestigious Sports Autobiography Award, chosen each year by a panel of high profile sporting journalists and celebrity writers, will be included in the Cross partnership.”

Nicola Shepherd, ‎Director of Trade/Shopper Marketing at A.T. Cross Company, said; “There is a superb synergy between our high quality pens and the British Sports Book Awards. At Cross, we understand the joy that writers and readers experience when significant moments and high achievement are brought to life by committing them to paper. We believe in the pursuit of greatness, and are delighted to be associated with outstanding sports writing which showcases and celebrates the stories of the past year.”

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2015/03/cross-to-sponsor-british-sports-book-awards/feed/0KEANE & PIETERSEN BATTLE FOR SPORTS AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEARhttp://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2014/11/keane-pietersen-battle-for-sports-autobiography-of-the-year/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2014/11/keane-pietersen-battle-for-sports-autobiography-of-the-year/#commentsWed, 12 Nov 2014 13:09:56 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=2792LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS

Former Manchester United captain, ROY KEANE, and exiled England cricketer, KEVIN PIETERSEN, are among the sporting superstars on the longlist for the Sports Autobiography of the Year at the CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS. Other top names include footballer, RIO FERDINAND, and two from the world of rugby: GARETH THOMAS, and BRIAN O’DRISCOLL. Cyclists CHRIS FROOME and NICOLE COOKE also feature on the longlist, while motorsport’s GUY MARTIN, flamboyant golfer, IAN POULTER, and the great Indian batsman, SACHIN TENDULKAR, complete the line-up.

Now in its 13th Year the CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS recognises the very best talent in sports writing with previous winners including autobiographies of Andre Agassi, Brian Moore and Nasser Hussain, and works from Duncan Hamilton, Paul Kimmage, David Walsh, and last year’s overall winner, Michael Calvin, who won for THE NOWHERE MEN: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters, (Century).

As well as the Autobiography of the Year there will also be awards for the Biography of the Year, and individual prizes for Books of the Year in the fields of Football, Cricket, Rugby and Horse Racing. Prizes for Best Illustrated Sports Book and Best New Writer will also be awarded.

New for 2015, is an individual award for Cycling, recognising the enormous rise of sports writing in this area. Judges for this category will include Robert Garbutt, Editor of Cycling Weekly and Cycling Sport magazines, Lawrence Dallaglio, former England rugby giant and cyclist of strength, Fran Miller of Team Sky, and chair of the panel, Nick Rusling of Human Race, the UK’s largest mass –participation events company which arranges many cycling sportives and bike rides.

The winners of all awards will be announced at a prestigious event being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, next May, hosted by Jonathan Agnew. Among other judges confirmed are Michael Parkinson, Gaby Logan, Brian Moore, Andrew Strauss, Clare Tomlinson and Bob Willis.

]]>http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2014/11/keane-pietersen-battle-for-sports-autobiography-of-the-year/feed/0THE NOWHERE MEN WINS SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR!http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2014/06/the-nowhere-men-wins-sports-book-of-the-year/
http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/2014/06/the-nowhere-men-wins-sports-book-of-the-year/#commentsTue, 10 Jun 2014 09:46:53 +0000http://www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk/?p=2758THE NOWHERE MEN: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters by Michael Calvin, published by Century, has won THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR at the British Sports Book Awards.

Selected by public vote Calvin’s fascinating, and widely-acclaimed, story of football’s talent scouts fought off strong competition from seven other category winners at this year’s British Sports Book Awards to win the overall title.

One of UK’s most versatile sportswriters, Calvin was named Sportswriter of the Year for his despatches as a crew member in a round the world yacht race, and has twice been named Sports Reporter of the Year. He is currently chief sports writer with the Independent on Sunday, His previous book, Family: Life Death and Football, was shortlisted in the 2011 Sports Book Awards.

Michael Calvin said of his win, “Being named as The Times Sports Book of the Year is a huge honour, and I hope its success is seen as collective rather than personal. The Nowhere Men would not have been written without the trust of a group of men who deserve to be hailed as football’s hidden heroes”.

THE NOWHERE MEN, which won the Football Book of the Year category at a star-studded awards ceremony last month, fought off strong competition from the seven other category winners. The full list was Jimmy Connors’ THE OUTSIDER, (Autobiography of the Year); THE GREAT TAMASHA by James Astill, (Cricket Book of the Year); Brough Scott’s HENRY CECIL, (Horse Racing Book of the Year); Simon Halliday’s CITY CENTRE, (Rugby Book of the Year); Harriet Tuckey for EVEREST: THE FIRST ASCENT, (Outstanding Sports Writing); LAND OF SECOND CHANCES by Tim Lewis (New Writer of the Year); and Chris Power for INCREDIBLE WAVES, (Best Illustrated Book of the Year).